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Trip Report: Fall NEHHA 2012

We held the Fall NEHHA this last weekend. IT was a great deal of fun and many new friends were met and many old friends were met again. Thanks to all who participated!

Friday afternoon I parked at the Hopper Trail head amongst more cars than I have ever seen at the trail head. As it turns out it was Williams College’s Mountain Day. They gave the entire student body the day off to go and hike Mt. Greylock. Yikes! Fortunately, Hunter and I managed to avoid most of them .

The start of the trip came off with a bang…literally! My hiking pole was jammed and I had to take it apart and bang it on some rocks and a sign post before it freed itself up and worked properly.
The 2.5 mile hike in, all up hill, was enjoyable and uneventful. Hunter and I made it to camp and set up. Just about the time we were finished setting up, R3l@x showed up. We finished making camp and got a nice fire started. An hour or so later, Nighthauk arrived, followed soon after by McRat.

Once camp was all established for everyone, we enjoyed some great steak that I carried in and we grilled over the fire. Hunter was very jealous of us all! He got his fair share in due time.
Later, as we all sat around the fire relaxing, Hunter suddenly took off like a shot and ran into the woods! We heard him yelp, and then start baying. He had treed a porcupine! He had also managed to get quilled in the nose and cheek. So, the 3 others helped hold Hunter down while I pulled the quills out with a Leatherman. Fortunately, he was not quilled very bad and did not require and medical treatment. He was back to his old self and looking for revenge on the porcupine in short order.

Saturday morning, R3l@x ran out to the trail head on the side of the mountain he came in on and retrieved a frying pan that his girlfriend was gracious enough to bring to him on her way to work. Once he returned to camp, we had a great breakfast of bacon and eggs.

Soon after, Nighthauk had to leave to meet his son, and McRat had to leave and return home. About mid morning Mp3prozak and Sunshower arrived with their 2 dogs, Bob Marley and Ember. Later that evening DaveP arrived and we all had a great time sitting around the campfire, talking gear, and swapping stories.

Both nights were cool and the lowest temp we saw was about 35*F. We were all kept toasty warm by our various bits of downy gear.
Sunday Morning, we all packed up and headed our respective ways.

Thanks to all for coming! It was a great time and I look forward to the next time we can all get together!
This is a short video of the weekend, and I hope that the others will post their pictures and memories.

Great first hang with the NE group

I was wondering if the 6 hours of driving was worth it for one evening in the woods; was it ever. This was my first time to Mt Greylock and remain impressed by how well this site was managed. Beautiful visitor's center, facilities, and well-marked roads to the top. With limited time, I parked in the upper lot so it was an easy 1.4(ish) mile hike to our camp site.

Other than a a bit of rain during my hike in and a few hours after, the weather was perfect. Crisp air and a star-filled night sky. Raiffnuke kept the fire blazing, which made hanging around warm and comfortable. The spiced rum was also a nice touch.

The dogs kept us all entertained. There was even an impromptu dogcherto early evening, with Bob Marley on lead and Ember and Hunter on backup vocals (egged on by the gang). Dogs and camping just go so well together, not to mention the extra safety margin of having a big critter early warning system late in the night.

There was a large assortment of gear to examine and discuss; I learned a ton hanging out with so many very experienced hammock campers. We also brainstormed some new designs. MP3prozak stated that you could make an underquilt for just about anything, including making an "underkilt" for Raiff's hiking kilt. Brilliant! I did determine that I need an underquilt for my Helinox chair; was a bit chilly sitting in 40*.

Gear-wise, although I stayed warm for the most part (after getting up to adjust my uq; should have pre-flighted my gear), I do think I maxed out my 40* Incubator in the 35* weather. This was with two layers of clothing and smartwool socks. A winter uq is now on the gear list: a 20* with a few extra ounces seemed to be the verdict. The Dangerbird performed very well; the overcover provided several degrees of extra warmth. I did partially unzip the cover early morning just to feel the crisp cold air on my face.

The bummer part of missing the first night was of course, the steaks and skillet breakfast. I also need to actually time when to eat my rehydrated meals; they were a little crunchy but hunger won the timing contest. Morning coffee and rehydrated breakfast was a great way to start the day.

Great people, tons of cool gear; awesome dogs. The take-away for several of us was in the form of a lists for the new gear we just have to acquire.

It was a pleasure meeting you all; cannot wait till the next hang; formally planned or otherwise,